


Misinterpreted

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-04-08 12:39:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4305429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason thinks his kid brother and his ginger roommate are too stupid for their own good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Misinterpreted

**Author's Note:**

> For a '600 followers prompts' submission on tumblr earlier this year.
> 
> Wuuuh, I changed it from teenagers to like, young adults. So maybe 21-23. One day I’ll stop writing about Damian carrying his cat everywhere. Jason is completely implying they’re going to go home and bang at the end, because he’s the worst brother in the world.

Jason wished he could say he was surprised, when he opened the door to his apartment after a boring morning of grocery shopping.

“We’ve _gotta_ stop meeting like this.” He drawled, kicking the door closed and moving to his kitchen. The lump on the sofa didn’t move, though the cat he was holding meowed in greeting. “Why aren’t you sulking at your own place?”

“Because I don’t want to go to my _own place_.” Damian mumbled sarcastically, helping lift the cat onto the back of the sofa.

“Why not?” Jason sighed, plopping his bags on the counter before sauntering back, plucking the cat up into his arms before it got any funny ideas about clawing his carpet. The cat purred loudly, squirming until Jason tucked him comfortably against his chest. He paused in Damian’s silence, remembering the younger’s personalities and drama, and smirked. “Or rather…what _happened_?”

“Nothing.” Of course the accusation would get an immediate response. “Why do you always think something _happened_ when I come over here? Why can’t I just come visit my _brother_ whenever I want? Isn’t that what family _does_?”

“You’re full of shit and you know it.” Jason flicked the back of Damian’s head, before turning away to protect himself, and scratch at the cat’s ears. “You never come over here unless it’s with your _roommate_. Not to _mention_ the fact you brought Alfred, and everybody _knows_ that when you bring your cat along somewhere, you don’t intend to go home for a _while_.”

Damian sighed, twisted and flopped over the back of the sofa with a pout. “…Have I truly become so predictable?”

“Dude, you’ve _always_ been predictable.” Jason reminded. Damian rolled his eyes, silently mimicking Jason’s sentence with a screwed up face. When he relaxed again, judging by how his gaze dropped to the floor, Jason could tell he had his walls up. That whatever happened was under lock and key and it would take hours to get it out of him, and Jason wasn’t in the mood to play therapist anyway. He hiked the cat up onto his shoulder and shifted back to the kitchen. “Where is the good ol’ roomie anyway? Haven’t seen him in a while.” Pause, to let Alfred hop to the counter. “…He _is_ still your roomie, right?”

“Of course.” Damian answered, over the soft scrunching of fabric as he climbed over the back of the sofa.

“Are you two dating yet?” Jason asked absently, going to the cabinet to pull down two glasses and a bowl. “Or is that still a thing we’re all pretending _isn’t_ a thing?”

Damian didn’t answer, and Jason glanced up from the pitcher of water he was slowly pouring. Damian’s lips were pursed, and his eyes were lowered. He looked almost…disappointed. “Hm.”

Well. Maybe it wouldn’t take hours to figure out what happened after all.

“Uh-oh.” Jason hummed, pushing the bowl towards Alfred, who lapped at it happily. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Oh, shut up, Todd.” Damian spat, snatching the proffered glass away, spilling water across the granite. Alfred paused in his drinking to stare up at his human judgmentally.

“What, did you try to make a move and he turned you down?” Jason hypothesized, knowing it would never actually happen. Knowing that their young ginger friend had been smitten with Damian since before Damian even knew smitten was an emotion he could _have_.

“No such thing.” Damian scoffed. “But…the signs are there. He is…unavailable.”

“Uh-huh.” Jason mumbled from behind the glass at his lips. “Details?”

Damian groaned, reaching out to run a hand down the cat’s back. “He is going out this evening.”

“…With?”

“Someone from the Child Services Office where he works.” Damian shrugged. “He claimed I don’t know them.”

“Man or woman?”

“I don’t know.”

“Aaaah. And the secrecy’s _killing_ you, eh?” Jason nodded sagely.

“ _No_.” Damian swore. “I just…we are _not_ dating, and what he does with _his_ time and who he spends it _with_ is Colin’s own business.”

“How noble of you.” Jason rolled his eyes.

“ _However_.” Damian added. “If he so chooses to…bring his date home for the night…I would just rather not be there to see it.” He exhaled, like he was happy with his own _incredibly obvious_ lie. “It would be awkward, and better avoided.”

“Makes sense.” Jason agreed. He took another gulp of his water. “Did he call it a date?”

“…What?”

“When he told you about it,” Jason clarified, putting his glass down and pulling the almost-forgotten groceries towards him. “Did he call it a date?”

“He said it was a dinner meeting. Something about business funding.” Damian waved it off. “But even I’m socially aware enough to know that no one schedules business dinners on a Friday nights.”

Jason had to ponder that one, because for once, his little brother was correct about the Friday thing. But, for as long as Jason had known Colin, he never knew the man to lie to Damian. About _anything_. Not to mention the whole… _they’re secretly madly in love with each other_ thing.

His thinking was cut short, though, when the phone in his back pocket suddenly started ringing. He sighed, not a big fan of being needed by more than one person at a time, and moved to grab it.

“This might be _shocking_ to hear, I know, but I’m pretty sure you’re over-thinking it.” Jason admitted blandly, whipping the phone out and spinning it in his hand. “Now give me two seconds.”

Damian scowled but complied, snatching his cat off the island and stomping back to his original position on the sofa. Jason chuckled and shook his head, not bothering to look at the caller ID before accepting the call. It was a personal phone, and only a few had the number.

“Todd’s Therapy Services, this is Jason Todd, Ph.D.” He droned. Damian shot one more glare over his shoulder and Jason grinned. “How can I help you?”

The crackle of wind, then:

“Jason?”

Jason paused, then slumped in exasperation. He definitely should have looked at the caller ID.

“Hey, I’m really sorry to bother you, man. But, uh…” Another gust of wind, and the sound of traffic. Faintly, Jason wondered if Colin was on the phone while riding his bike again. “Well. When I got home from work Damian wasn’t there. Which – isn’t a problem. He can do his own thing, he doesn’t _have_ to tell me where he’s going all the time, I _know_ that.” A nervous laugh, and Jason wanted to gag. “But…well, Alfred wasn’t there either. So I just wanted to know if you knew something? Did something happen…? Is he okay or…”

_Or is my not-boyfriend in some sort of danger that I need to save him from?_

Colin didn’t say it. Jason assumed it was implied.

Jason snorted a laugh. These two were incredible.

“Where are you, dude?” Jason asked lightly.

“Walking over to Dick’s.” Colin mumbled quietly. “To uh…you know, to see if he’s there. Just to make sure he’s okay. He’s…been a little quiet the past few days. I’m just…man, Jason, I’m just worried.”

“Regretting getting in with the Bat and his brood yet?” Jason joked.

Colin’s answer was serious and intense. “Never.”

Jason rolled his eyes once more, lowering his voice. “Yeah, okay. Well, he’s not at Dick’s. He’s here, and he’s fine.”

“Oh thank god.” Colin sounded obviously relieved. “Does he sound like he’s going to stick around?”

“Probably. Why?”

“I just…” Colin sounded conflicted. “Like I said, he’s just been quiet the past few days. And there’s been a tension at home and…well, you know how he is. He just won’t _talk_. Won’t share what he’s feeling.”

“You want to talk to him?” Jason asked quietly. “Because I am so down for a mediation between you two. This shit is getting _ridiculous_.”

“What?” Colin sounded honestly surprised. “ _What_ shit?”

“Don’t play dumb, Wilkes. He just did that for twenty minutes.”

Colin didn’t answer right away, and Jason could practically feel the tension between the two, despite them not even being in each other’s presence. He could sense Damian’s heartbreak and Colin’s pining. Worst of all, he could sense how _stupidly_ in love with each other they were and how blind they were to the fact.

“Just come pick him up, Colin.” Jason whispered. “You don’t have to duke it out here, but…”

And Colin was always better at the emotions stuff. Was always much more level-headed than any of the vigilantes Jason had worked with before. Much more clear in what was happening and what he wanted. His one flaw was that he always put others first, doing things based off of what he _believed_ others needed. And somehow, the signs from Damian just never reached him. Not really. Somehow, he always thought his adoration was one-sided.

“Yeah.” Colin suddenly sighed. Resigned, nervous, preparing himself for a rejection Jason knew would never come. “…Yeah. I’m on my way.”

“Good.” Jason glanced back to Damian, who looked like some sort of trapped princess, staring almost _longingly_ out the window, and smiled. “Oh, and Colin?”

“What?”

“If I were you?” Jason tried. “I’d _definitely_ cancel that business dinner tonight.”

“Really?” Colin asked dumbly. “Why?”

“Call me a psychic.” Jason smirked. “But I think you and your roommate are going to be _mighty busy_ this evening.”


End file.
